Web-Desk (February 08, 2018): The 23rd Olympic Winter Games finally kicked off in Pyeongchang, South Korea on Thursday with a dazzling spectacle featuring the parade of participating nations and a whimsical storyline.
Although competition for the 2018 Winter Olympics began Thursday, the much-anticipated opening ceremony started today in the sleepy mountain town of Hoenggye, located in the Gangwon province of Pyeongchang County.
Fireworks lit up the sky over the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, where North Korea’s all-female cheering squad were among the crowd, as the gala event started.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was among the VIPs expected to attend after she became the first member of the ruling Kim dynasty to venture South since the Korean War.
After a sudden thaw in ties following months of rising tensions and North Korean missile tests — South and North Korean athletes will march together at the ceremony, behind the blue-and-white Korean unification flag.
Russian athletes will march under a neutral flag after the Russian team was banned from the Games over systemic doping — although 168 Russians deemed to be clean of drug use have been allowed to take part.
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